The negotiations were held in the capital of Turkmenistan, Ashghabat, between the heads of the railway administrations of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan The Acting General Director of the Afghanistan Railway Authority (ARA), Bakhturahman Sharafat, accompanied by the ARA delegation, arrived in the capital of Turkmenistan on 30 November to participate in the negotiations.

The meeting agenda included the discussion of the issues regarding the construction, management, and operation of railways in Afghanistan, as well as the intensification of freight transportation along the developed Lapis Lazuli transport corridor (Lapis Lazuli Pass).

The four-day negotiations have been very productive: the parties managed to agree on several measures for technical cooperation, and it was also decided to create a joint committee to improve the collaboration.

In connection with this, the issues of continuing the construction of the 30-kilometer Akina-Andkhoy railway line, the construction of the Andkhoy-Shibirghan section with a length of 10 km, as well as the Turgundi-Herat railway projects have been considered.

In order to increase the volume of bilateral trade and trade of Afghanistan with other countries in Central Asia, special attention was paid to the possibility of increasing freight turnover by railway transport.

The leadership of the Afghan railways is concerned in the development of the Lapis Lazuli corridor with Turkmenistan (Afghani- stan – Turkmenistan – Azer- baijan – Georgia – Türkiye) and is creating effective multimodal schemes to increase transit capacity and attract freight flows from other countries, including India and Pakistan.

In addition, the Turkmenistan’s side has expressed its readiness that as same as last year they will accept a group of Afghanistan Railway Authority’s staff in the field of railway for a short technical study programme to be held in 2024 in Turkmenistan.